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[rck]

My Chesapeake Watson shows many signs of advanced pneumonia- he has not been diagnosed with blasto but we started him on Intra monday afternoon.  His symptoms included bloody urine, heavy breathing, dry cough, snowstorm chest xray and I know he's been hunting in areas with blasto history.  We sent a blood sample to U of Minnesota Vet but that test just came back negative.  My vet and I believe he has Blasto and will continue anti-fungal.

Watson will not eat.  He drinks water.  I have fought with him all week to eat something and tried most of this sites recommendations, thanks so much!  I'm wearing out myself and poor Watson is so thin and his coughing and heavy breathing is terrible. 

I'm leaving work early to try and get some ensure in him.

randy in east central mn

[evayola]

I would highly recommend the MiraVista urine test. If you look up miravistas website they will give you all the info there. You can send in the urine yourself and have the results sent back to your vet or have your vet pack it up and send it out. The miravista test has a very high accuracy rate and many here have used it to diagnose their dogs.

I am so sorry for what Watson is going through. Marge too lost an extreme amount of weight when she was sick and was a bag of bones. It is a good thing though that he is keeping himself hydrated. I am assuming you have tried all kinds of meats and he wont eat anything? You really really need to get some calories in him. There is a paste you can buy called nutri cal and we just smeared it inside Marges mouth and she had no choice but to take it down. It is very high calorie and helped us get through days when she just didnt want anything. Or mealbones? Im sorry Randy, I wish I had some more suggestions for you. Are you on a really high dose of itra for his weight? If you are giving itra are you giving it with a fatty substance? It is extrememly important that the itra be given with fat. Peanut butter or just plain butter work really well. Hang in there

Eva

[rck]

thanks for encouragement Eva.  I will get that test done eventually- It's hard to know what's right .  Watson had a round of antibiotics a week ago and they did nothing.  I'm banking on the fungal theory.  After countless dollars it's frustrating that the vet can't tell a fungus from bacteria  grrrr.  In their defense they rarely see Blasto around here and really don't know much about it.

Watson is getting 200mg twice a day for a day or two more and then we'll cut it in half.  He is really in poor shape though so....  back to trying to get some food in him

randy

[carolh]

Hello Randy,

So sorry to hear about Watson (great name!).  I'm with Eva on the MiraVista.  I'm glad you are continuing treatment despite test results that said it wasn't blasto.  I wouldn't wait for "eventually."  It's simple -- just send in a sample of urine.  How much does Watson weigh? 
Be sure to read through this forum to find the amazing number of ideas, really creative and good, to keep Watson eating enough to survive.  With this disease, the "usual course" (that isn't much that's usual with this disease) is that the dog gets a lot and a lot worse before getting better. 

Good luck.  We're with you and Watson.
Carol

[Teddy]

When our Ted was sick the only thing we could get him to eat was freshly cooked ground beef. I tried to batch cook it and re-heat but there was something about getting his senses/juices going with the cooking process that got him to eat. Left overs just didn't cut it. He also tolerated some mashed potatoes added to the mix after about the first week. The anorexia is the worst, good luck.

[ZoethePug]

Your story sounds exactly like mine.  It all started with the bloody urine and cough...  I spent so much $ on tests, some of which I feel made her go downhill even more because of the stress that was put upon her (like a trach (sp?) or lung wash).  No one ever did a urine test and I didn't know enough at the time to ask for one.  There were no positive results for blasto but I pushed for her to be treated anyway...  She finally received a positive test that came from a lesion... 

I wish you well on your journey!  Sending positive thoughts your way:) 

[rck]

Watson is hanging on but barely.  I contacted Miravista but they say I must have my vet send in a sample; will do it but very tired of my vet and her limited interest/knowledge in this case.  Will try to get that done.
Watson refuses any and all food ; I give him ensure, peanut butter, high calorie paste and some electrolytes.  He has been on the Itra for 1 week, now down to 200mg/day.  His coughing isn't quite as bad but breathing is very labored and he gags whenever you try and feed him.  He also has almost no interest save for his ball which he will still attempt to retrieve ( very short retrieves)
Thanks to everyone on this site for your help.
randy

[Teddy]

We had a week from hell too when Ted started his meds. The labored breathing was the hardest part we where desparately trying to find a company that would supply him oxygen. Just as we where able to arrange it things started to turn around and we didn't end up having to use it, the oxygen. We had about 5 really bad days, and no interest even in his ball. Hang in there, it could turn around...at any moment.
Hot dogs? Scrambled eggs, liverwurst all things we tried to get our guy to take little bites of...I feel for you! Thinking good thoughts for you tonight!

[carolh]

Hi,
No advice.  Just writing to say we're with you.  Hang in there.  This is a soul-trying time for you and Watson.  Science Diet has recovery canned food that our cancer-stricken dog managed to eat some of.  It didn't work long but when she would eat some, it's packed with high health stuff.  Sorry, you can only get it at the vet.
Please check for a new vet.  You need someone you trust and who is knowledgeable -- or at least open to knowledge -- about this disease.  Short of that, PLEASE copy the newsletter on this forum and take that to your vet.  My vet is VERY experienced helping dogs and owners fight blasto and he was pleased to read the newsletter.
Carol

[paintubturner]

I got on the MiraVista website and printed off the requistion form--filled it all in--collected and shipped the sample each time all myself (overnight from the post office)--oh and included a money order.  I did have to put my vet info on the form but was able to get everything done myself. I was alittle dishonest about it though-if thats what you want to call it-because the fax number I listed on the form was my fax at work not the vet office-that way I could get it hot off the press! Best of luck with you dog.     

[paintubturner]

Another bit of advice...get a new vet ASAP!  I started out with a vet that had limited knowledge of Blasto and didnt care to learn any more about it--I understand that Gunner had Blasto but I blame that vet completely for Gunner going blind!  Thanks to this site and all the help and advice from everyone I found another vet that has been a god send!  If he didnt have an answer for me he would go out of his way to find any answer for me.  Gunner hasnt been to the vet in along time now for Blasto related things and the vet calls once in awhile just to check in and make sure everything is still going good.  If you can find another vet that you trust that will help alot. I honestly believe if Gunner would have had his current vet when I took him in when he was first sick-one look at Gunners eyes and that vet would immediately given him the drops to get the pressure down and I'm sure kept him over night and my dog wouldnt be blind now. Still alot of hard feeling towards my first vet!   

[Jen]

You know, I agree.  Having a vet who knows something about the disease and its treatment is invaluable.
Dirtbike wouldn't have made it if not for her vet.  He was young, just out of school, and he only considered heartworms for a moment before he saw the small lesion on Dirtbike's back.  He tested it right there in the office and came back with a positive blasto diagnosis.  Maybe 10 minutes in the office and we had a positive.  I understand that not all cases have a symptom that is so easily tested though.
   He was fairly positive about treatment, he set us up with Pet Health Pharmacy, and called the prescription in right over the phone.  I felt that maybe it was because he was so young that he saw it right away.  He did not make it clear that the treatment would be so hard, but it was still worth it.

[Wilson3]

Randy how is Watson doing?
wilson3